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SCORES of bodies have been discovered in a mass grave near the city of Kirkuk, Iraqi federal police confirmed today.
The remains of 45 people were found in the residential area of Riyaz in the Hawija district of Kirkuk, which is situated in the disputed territories of northern Iraq.
The dead are believed to be victims of Isis, which controlled about a third of Iraq until its supposed defeat in 2017.
The bones will be analysed in Baghdad and compared with a database of people searching for their missing loved ones.
At least 202 mass graves had been discovered in Iraq by the United Nations by the end of 2018, containing the bodies of about 12,000 murdered men, women and children. Further burial places have since been discovered but many are yet to be excavated.
In recent months there have been signs of an Isis resurgence in Iraq. The jihadists are known to have restructured into cells, launching sporadic guerilla attacks.
Iraqi armed forces, security officials and the state-backed Iranian Popular Mobilisation Forces are often targeted by the death cult.
Civilians have also been killed in Isis attacks as the group has taken advantage of the country’s deteriorating security situation.
